The present invention concerns an agricultural grove sprayer having spray nozzles placed to travel within the foliage of the grove tree and to spray a mist only within the grove tree. It is common practice for a grove sprayer to proceed down a service aisle and to create a high velocity, chemical cloud which is blasted outwardly toward the rows of passing trees bordering the aisleway regardless of tree gaps or size differentials. Upon contacting the trees the chemical cloud is slowed, chemicals drop, and much of the chemical liquid runs off the foliage on to the ground, and much of the chemical cloud is deflected upward into the atmosphere and deposited in surrounding areas with disastrous results. Also, during its exposed travel from the spray nozzles to the tree foliage the chemical cloud is subject to wind dispersion and to other atmospheric effects. Expensive, high-velocity, high noise polluting air jet blasts are extravagantly generated, and further, expensively manipulated such as to have a turbulent nature whereby violently to agitate and otherwise to maltreat the foliage such as to force therein the chemical spray for deposition on the inner foliage. Some does so deposit. Initial machinery costs are high as are operation costs, maintenance costs, and spray chemical and water losses. Efficiency is low. This invention eliminates these problems and discloses further improvements.
Prior U.S. patents which show grove sprayers include the Gardener U.S. Pat. No. 3,016,653, which shows an agricultural spraying device in which a bar trips a nozzle for spraying chemicals on weeds. The Jolly, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 4,197,998 shows a self-leveling boom type sprayer. The Baker U.S. Pat. No. 3,830,014 shows steam ejecting boom arms using tree detecting valves.
It is an object of this invention to provide a system for environmentally efficient, chemical spray generating and pollution-free delivery.
Another object of this invention is to provide a manner of generating a chemical spray mist within the grove tree itself such that it is trapped and held therein for chemical deposition and thorough chemical soaking of the upper and lower foliage surfaces and of all the tree elements therein.
Another object of this invention is to provide a manner whereby the spray liquid and the particulates are removed within the tree through deposition and through the soaking and foliage filtration action whereby only relatively dry, filtered air escapes outwardly from the tree into the atmosphere.
Another object of this invention is to devise a method of spraying a grove tree from a continuously moving spray nozzle which acts as a traveling point generating source located within the tree itself.
Another object of this invention is to devise a spray machine which positions spray heads directly against or into the needy target area whereby no distance or space exists between the immediate spray generation zone and the object being sprayed.
Another object of this invention is to provide an agricultural sprayer of quiet, easy chemical spray generation and delivery means whereby no upwardly deflected, atmospheric chemical spray clouds or horizontally moving chemical drift clouds are formed.
Another object of this invention is to provide an agricultural sprayer utilizing spray means whereby are eliminated the commonly accepted inefficiencies of the environmentally polluting effects of airblast machine high velocity, foliage penetration, forced particle impinging, chemical foliage runoff, spray mist fall out and dispersion, and wind dissipation.
Another objection of this invention is to provide a maximally efficient grove spray machine employing foliage-internal spray generation nozzles and technique and without employing spray mist boost forces.
Another objective of this invention is to provide an agricultural grove sprayer incorporating means to spray the inside of a citrus tree without significant deposition of chemical spray residue outside the tree.
Another object of this invention is to provide a system for environmentally efficient, external chemical spray generation and delivery.
Another object of this invention is to provide an agricultural sprayer whereby grove trees may be externally sprayed throughout a grove from a consistent, maximally constant, spray nozzle distance from the trees.
Another object of this invention is to provide an agricultural grove sprayer incorporating means to obtain the economy of spraying simultaneously a tree interior and a tree exterior whereby two different and separate spray chemicals are simultaneously applied on the same tree and without intermingling.
Another object of this invention is to provide a spray machine to mass spray trees by their individual physical characteristics of height, size, distance from the service aisle, row spacing, and gaps.
Another object of this invention is to provide a simplified grove spray machine having the ability to quietly and gently place chemical spray on and in grove trees, new growth, fruit, bloom, and other tender elements without agitation or allied disturbance.
Another object of this invention is to provide a grove spray machine that is simple and uncomplicated, low cost, light weight, economical to operate, easily and cheaply maintained, and easily transported.
Another object of this invention is to provide an agricultural grove sprayer which complements the natural configuration of the tree elements and their interstices by allowing a natural, unassisted flow of a spray mist generated therein.
Another object of this invention is to provide an agricultural grove sprayer embodying a means of directing a spray nozzle within the foliage of a grove tree such that the upper spray mist generated therein may be directed downward into the upper foliage of the tree, while the lower generated sprays may be directed upward into the lower tree surfaces.